Illustrative image taken from the Internet

By Roberto Morejón

Without the rains dissipating, although now not so intense, Cubans living in the eastern region begin to count losses, in an environment ravaged by floods and swollen rivers.
 
Appealing to the proverbial solidarity of Cubans, many residents of districts far from the towns and even in the latter, had to evacuate to avoid the negative effect of the accumulation of waters.
 
Several localities were cut off after the collapse of bridges or the rise in the height of rivers, along with interruptions in electricity service and losses in crops, flooded by heavy rains.
 
A trough in the middle and high levels over the Gulf of Mexico caused the precipitations of the last days, in a month that although it is the most active month of the year in Cuba, it does not frequently produce phenomena like the one mentioned above.
 
Only in the first ten days of this month, rain gauges registered 75 percent of the historical average for June due to moderate to heavy rainfall.
 
The volume of water retained in reservoirs, most of them built after 1959, exceeded 63 percent.
 
Prior to this emergency situation, Cubans lamented a prolonged drought, but at the beginning of the rainy season the situation has turned around.
 
In the opinion of experts, the current complexity brings benefits in terms of water storage, but the price to be paid for it is remarkable.
 
Incidentally, the government instructed executives to move to the areas affected by the heavy downpours, given the need to coordinate care for the victims and outline the material recovery.
 
Protecting and evacuating families has been the fundamental purpose, but it is also urgent to recover basic infrastructures, because communications to remote areas depend on them.
 
It is also necessary to attend to the circumstances of those whose homes were damaged or who lost utensils, requirements which, according to the government, will be evaluated.
 
When the danger due to the inclement weather has not passed, Cubans attend to the initiative of the Defense Committees to collect aid for the victims.
 
The current severe material limitations, largely due to the U.S. blockade, will not prevent them from channeling aid to those who suffer additional shortages due to the deluge.